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Middle East & North African Program

ICNL’s Middle East and North Africa program promotes an enabling environment for civil society across the region. We strive to advance civic freedoms through our partnerships with local civil society leaders, government officials, lawyers, academics, and other stakeholders with whom we cooperate on initiatives ranging from legal reform to advocacy campaigns.

We currently have active projects in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, and Tunisia, and we maintain up-to-date reports on the legal framework for civil society in ten countries.

Our Impact in the Region

15+

Years

Working in the region, making ICNL a leader in the area.

16

Countries

ICNL has worked in across the region.

225

Knowledge Products

Produced in 2025, on a diverse range of issues affecting civil society.

Highlights

Digital Fundraising in the Middle East and North Africa

Digital fundraising represents a great opportunity for CSOs to finance their missions. This report examines the availability of digital mechanisms in three MENA countries.

Jordan: Strengthening Civil Society by Building Financial Resilience

Read how INCL’s nonpartisan legal analysis and practical guidance helped our partners assess the implications of new legislation and engage constructively with the government.

Civic Freedom Monitor

ICNL’s Civic Freedom Monitor provides current information on civil society law in 57 countries, including Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, and Yemen.

Key Resources

Introduction to FATF and its Impact on the Not-for-Profit Sector

A short briefer and video introducing the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and Recommendation 8, which concerns nonprofit organizations, along with best practices on compliance.

FATF in the Middle East and North Africa

This page compiles our work to address FATF and Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism issues related to nonprofit operations in Jordan, Tunisia, and Lebanon.

Guide to the Right of Peaceful Assembly in the Middle East and North Africa

A comprehensive guide on the right to peaceful assembly, including a comparative study of regional practices during states of emergency and armed conflict.

Public Participation: Concepts and Best Practices

This briefer examines the right to public participation under international law and discusses ways to ensure that participation mechanisms are effective.

Civic Freedoms in the Middle East & North Africa

This in-depth study assesses the effect of formal and informal restrictions on the viability of civil society organizations in Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, Lebanon, and Kuwait.

Digital Legal Library

ICNL’s collection of nearly 4,000 laws, reports, and other legal resources from more than 200 countries and territories, written in more than 60 languages.

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